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Review Rating:
Platform: Windows XP
Manufacturer: viksoe.dk
Size: 156KB
Number of Downloads: 1985
Price: $ Free
This is the software publisher's description.
Gmail Drive is a Shell Namespace Extension that creates a virtual filesystem around your Google Gmail account, allowing you to use Gmail as a storage medium.
GMail Drive creates a virtual filesystem on top of your Google Gmail account and enables you to save and retrieve files stored on your Gmail account directly from inside Windows Explorer. GMail Drive literally adds a new drive to your computer under the My Computer folder, where you can create new folders, copy and drag'n'drop files to.
Ever since Google started to offer users a Gmail e-mail account, which includes storage space of 2000 megabytes, you have had plenty of storage space but not a lot to fill it up with. With GMail Drive you can easily copy files to your Gmail account and retrieve them again.
When you create a new file using GMail Drive, it generates an e-mail and posts it to your account. The e-mail appears in your normal Inbox folder, and the file is attached as an e-mail attachment. GMail Drive periodically checks your mail account (using the Gmail search function) to see if new files have arrived and to rebuild the directory structures. But basically GMail Drive acts as any other hard-drive installed on your computer.
You can copy files to and from the GMail Drive folder simply by using drag'n'drop like you're used to with the normal Explorer folders.
Because the Gmail files will clutter up your Inbox folder, you may wish to create a filter in Gmail to automatically move the files (prefixed with the GMAILFS letters in the subject) to your archived mail folder.
Please note that GMail Drive is still an experimental tool. There are still a number of limitations of the file-system (such as total filename size must be less than 65 characters). Since the tool hooks up with the free Gmail Service provided by Google, changes in the Gmail system may break the tool's ability to function.
Do you agree?
Damn fine
I've used the first version for over a year. Very simple, never know its there. One click in the folder view in windows explorer and you see the contents of your google e-mail. Can be used for uploading files you might need at work easily. eg: Powerpoint presentation, and unlike other programs that encrypt the file, these will run directly from your Google Mail into Powerpoint.
Just like that.
Posted by chris, 21 Mar 2007
Gmail Drive/Gmail Space
I've been using the Firefox extension, Gmail Space, that does the same thing and the concept is brilliant.
The article is slightly wrong* with the quote of 2000MB storage, Gmail now carries a hefty 4000MB storage for users.
*vnunet.com note: sometimes we don't re-write an entire review for a minor software update.
Posted by Dr.Druids, 16 Nov 2007
I used to use it, but Google keeps disabling it
Google seem to change their code disabling this useful program, then you wait ages for a new version. I gave up waiting and did not know a new version was out.
Too erratic for regular use
Posted by cjw, 24 Oct 2009